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A review by 10111111111
Out Of Touch by Michael Sarais
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
[I received a digital arc for an honest review]
Rating: 4 stars (8/10)
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Tropes: right person wrong time, terminal illness, trauma, LDR
Review:
This was definitely an interesting story, and I didn't at all predict the direction it was taking. The story is split in 3 parts, and we get to see these 3 points in time where Vincent and Teddy's lives cross paths, their love story, and the traumas they experience. I didn't really expect the trauma we got in this book, and I will say it is important to check the trigger warnings, as they are not graphic but they are very much on-page. The first section, set in 2008, was a very innocent a fun story, and I enjoyed watching these two slowly fall in love, and for Vincent to have his sexual awakening, and their meeting in London. The last 2 chapters kind of throw 2 big gut punches at you, and we're left with a broken Vincent in Europe and a distraught Teddy in Australia. We jump to 2014, and I must say I was not happy with the progression of their lives. Vincent is in a situation where he believes he is happy, and maybe he does get happiness out of it, but it's not really what we wanted and he has just gone along with it, while Teddy is stuck in a rut and feeling alone, bitter, and hurting. They meet again in London for a day when Teddy can't take things happening at home and just wants to see Vincent again, and we end the section with Vincent having moved on, and Teddy going home to try and confront his demons and problems. Then we jump to 2020, and I am curious if this is meant to be a 2020 that has COVID, since it was never mentioned, and we're still globe-trotting a little bit and road tripping around Australia. Things have gone from bad to worse for both Teddy and Vincent, and Vincent has had enough of his situation and wants out, while Teddy has finally taken his life back into his hands and is doing what he's always wanted. They meet completely by chance, and it's during this time that Teddy has to rush back to Australia, except finally this time, Vincent is by his side.
I really enjoyed some of the exploration of lives diverging and converging, the struggles from trauma and terminal illnesses, the difficulty of rekindling friendship and broken family ties, the merging and splitting of friend groups, and how sometimes you can't be together, but there is always the chance that your lives will entwine again. The story got a lot heavier and sadder than I was expecting, but I definitely was hooked by the time Teddy and Vincent first met, and I just loved watching them burn so hot for each other. The precious moments they first spent together in London, before their lives blew apart and they were ripped from each other, were so gentle and tender and I really fell in love with them. The pacing of the story is pretty good, and I felt like everything that needed to be addressed was. The only 2 things I wished for were for 2 scenes to be expanded on a little more. The first time that Teddy and Vincent have sex felt like it was really rushed, and I would've liked more time in their heads to really feel their thoughts after having waited so long to finally be together. And also, I would have loved to have a bit of a deeper conversation between Teddy and his older brother Mitchell as they hashed out their traumas and feelings around their broken relationship. I really appreciated seeing them come together and deal with things together, and I think it is important to show them feeling their emotions and being there for each other. Apart from that, I really enjoyed the discussions in the book, especially around Huntington's Disease, and how these things tear apart people and families, and how important it is to educate people and try to raise awareness to help fund research and help people be more compassionate.
Rating: 4 stars (8/10)
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Tropes: right person wrong time, terminal illness, trauma, LDR
Review:
This was definitely an interesting story, and I didn't at all predict the direction it was taking. The story is split in 3 parts, and we get to see these 3 points in time where Vincent and Teddy's lives cross paths, their love story, and the traumas they experience. I didn't really expect the trauma we got in this book, and I will say it is important to check the trigger warnings, as they are not graphic but they are very much on-page. The first section, set in 2008, was a very innocent a fun story, and I enjoyed watching these two slowly fall in love, and for Vincent to have his sexual awakening, and their meeting in London. The last 2 chapters kind of throw 2 big gut punches at you, and we're left with a broken Vincent in Europe and a distraught Teddy in Australia. We jump to 2014, and I must say I was not happy with the progression of their lives. Vincent is in a situation where he believes he is happy, and maybe he does get happiness out of it, but it's not really what we wanted and he has just gone along with it, while Teddy is stuck in a rut and feeling alone, bitter, and hurting. They meet again in London for a day when Teddy can't take things happening at home and just wants to see Vincent again, and we end the section with Vincent having moved on, and Teddy going home to try and confront his demons and problems. Then we jump to 2020, and I am curious if this is meant to be a 2020 that has COVID, since it was never mentioned, and we're still globe-trotting a little bit and road tripping around Australia. Things have gone from bad to worse for both Teddy and Vincent, and Vincent has had enough of his situation and wants out, while Teddy has finally taken his life back into his hands and is doing what he's always wanted. They meet completely by chance, and it's during this time that Teddy has to rush back to Australia, except finally this time, Vincent is by his side.
I really enjoyed some of the exploration of lives diverging and converging, the struggles from trauma and terminal illnesses, the difficulty of rekindling friendship and broken family ties, the merging and splitting of friend groups, and how sometimes you can't be together, but there is always the chance that your lives will entwine again. The story got a lot heavier and sadder than I was expecting, but I definitely was hooked by the time Teddy and Vincent first met, and I just loved watching them burn so hot for each other. The precious moments they first spent together in London, before their lives blew apart and they were ripped from each other, were so gentle and tender and I really fell in love with them. The pacing of the story is pretty good, and I felt like everything that needed to be addressed was. The only 2 things I wished for were for 2 scenes to be expanded on a little more. The first time that Teddy and Vincent have sex felt like it was really rushed, and I would've liked more time in their heads to really feel their thoughts after having waited so long to finally be together. And also, I would have loved to have a bit of a deeper conversation between Teddy and his older brother Mitchell as they hashed out their traumas and feelings around their broken relationship. I really appreciated seeing them come together and deal with things together, and I think it is important to show them feeling their emotions and being there for each other. Apart from that, I really enjoyed the discussions in the book, especially around Huntington's Disease, and how these things tear apart people and families, and how important it is to educate people and try to raise awareness to help fund research and help people be more compassionate.